Search - Alice Cooper :: Muscle of Love

Alice Fans You Can't Pass This One Over!

Graboidz | Westminster, Maryland | 07/15/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I think "Muscle of Love" also has a slapdash feel about it, sort of like Led Zep's "Coda". It's like Alice and crew went through their musical closet and just emptied out left over stuff from previous recordings. But that in no way should indicate these cuts are bad. You have the haunting "Hard Hearted Alice", the Dixie-Jazz "Crazy Little Child", and typical 70's rockers like "Woman Machine", "Muscle of Love" & "Never Been Sold Before". All of the songs are good, just not as good as what had been put out before. I think one of the best tracks on the disk is the failed James Bond theme song "Man With the Golden Gun". I would love to have seen that open the movie (as a Bond fan MWTGG could have used something, as it was one of the worst bond movies ever). But if you are a fan of Alice Cooper, you have to get this landmark recording if for no other reason that to hear the original bands last recording. I always wondered what would have happened had the original band stayed together, but I don't know if they could have made it past the 70's and into the 80's. Just look where Alice went after this with "Welcome to my Nightmare" and where the rest of the band went with "Battle Axe". Two albums that sound completely different. But, now, 30 years later, wouldn't it be great to hear Alice once again with his old mates?! Man that would be a Killer!"

The last hurrah...

David Goodwin | Westchester, NY United States | 12/25/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Muscle of Love was the last album for Alice Cooper as a band; in its aftermath, the band would split, with frontman Cooper going on to success with Welcome To My Nightmare and the band themselves falling into obscurity as the Billion Dollar Babies. Yet despite the bad reputation Muscle of Love seems to have, it's certainly a part of the band's golden era, and well worth exploring. It can be a bit of a shock in its chronilogical placing, though; it has little of the theatricality that so liberally peppered School's Out and especially Billion Dollar Babies. Indeed, I've heard (thanks, George S.!) that this decision is due to a comprimise made between Mr. Furnier and the members of his band, who apparently were a bit turned off by some of the excessive theatricality of the previous two albums, which makes a lot of sense. Thus, Muscle of Love has more in common with Love it To Death and Killer, which is certainly not a bad thing; the title track, Big Apple Dreaming, and many others are straightforward, excellent tracks with few pretentions, and even the ballades (Hard Hearted Alice) come off quite well.The songwriting and execution aren't QUITE up to the level of those previous successes, but it's enjoyable enough, and for those who enjoy Cooper (but don't necessarily go for "I Love the Dead"), MoL is an enjoyable last-hurrah for the band."

Bulging Muscle

Brent Evans | Rockhampton, Australia | 08/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A lot of Cooper fans dislike this album;thinking that it's a step down from BILLION DOLLAR BABIES.I believe the opposite.True,the Alice Cooper Group were on the verge of splitting up(Alice wanted to increase the theatrics;the rest of the band wanted them eliminated altogether).However,that did not stop them from trying out new types of music to mix with the ACG's brand of in-your -face rock.Dixieland rock(CRAZY LITTLE CHILD),elctronic music (WOMAN MACHINE)space rock(HARD HEARTED ALICE),a choir(MUSCLE OF LOVE)and the ultimate girl backup group (consisting of The Pointer Sisters,Liza Minelli and Ronnie Spector on TEENAGE LAMENT '74).This does not mean that the hard rock isn't there:witness MUSCLE OF LOVE,WORKING UP A SWEAT,NEVER BEEN SOLD BEFORE,and BIG APPLE DREAMIN'.MUSCLE OF LOVE is a loose concept album,the subjects are sex and making your way in the big,bad city.My favourite track on this album is THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN.All ACG members were James Bond fanatics and they submitted this to be the theme song for the second Roger Moore Bond adventure. Unfortunately,due to the Alice Cooper image,Lulu got the job instead(damnit!)MUSCLE OF LOVE still has Alice and the boys firing on all cylinders,with biting wit in the lyrics and determination in the playing.Don't just go on what some Alice fans tell you;take a listen and judge for yourself.As for me;I rank it highly in the Cooper canon."